Seeker of Stars: A Novel (8 page)

“Has someone finally killed the old scorpion? Last I heard he was killing everyone else.”

“Herod. I don’t know if he’s alive or not. Or maybe he’s had a son. We’re headed to Jerusalem.”

“And where is this new star?”

“It was right over there in the west. We’re headed in the direction it used to be in.”

“You’re following an empty place in the sky?” Salvi snorted.

I sighed. “Sometimes it feels like it,” I admitted.

~ 14 ~

N
ight

I had dozed off when Salvi grabbed my arm. “Someone’s in the camp.”

I was wide awake. “Marauders?”

“They saw the horses and figured you had money.”

Before I could think what should be done, a scuffle broke out in my tent. There were muffled sounds and a yell. Salvi jumped to the ground and ran to the tent. I did not know what to do. I trailed him and was knocked down by a man running out of the tent. When my breath was back, I got up in time to see him ride off. Pursuit was pointless.

Inside the tent, a shocking sight met my eyes. A strange man lay on the floor with my brother and Caspar sitting astride him. Our bags had been torn open and were scattered around the tent. Balzar lay still in the center of it all.

“Are these friends of your family?” Shaz asked, breaking the silence.

My eyes grew wide. “My brother has saved your life, and you question his honor?”

Shaz swallowed hard. I looked at Salvi, who shrugged. “What do you want me to do with this Israelite?”

Caspar spoke. “There’s rope in my pack. We’ll tie him up till morning.”

Balzar had still not moved. While Caspar and Salvi tied the thief up, I crouched next to Balzar. He was shivering, so I wrapped my cloak around him and kissed his cheek. I felt him breathe, rather than speak, words on me: “Seek the star, Melchior.” I looked full into his eyes filled with fading light and nodded. Only then did I notice Balzar’s son standing behind me. I left them together.

Shaz went to make sure our gifts were safe. Caspar, Salvi, and I went outside, stirred the fire’s embers to life again, and sat quietly. We were too shaken to sleep or to speak, though Caspar’s hand on my brother’s shoulder spoke of gratitude and solidarity.

Balzar’s son came out of the tent in the shadows before day broke. His eyes were rimmed red with tears. He shook his head. “He isn’t hurt, but this shock has weakened his heart. I don’t think he can be moved.”

With a heavy heart I looked at Caspar, knowing Shaz would be eager to continue and leave the wilderness. Caspar nodded, but no intervention would be necessary: Balzar died an hour later.

We buried Balzar at the oasis, employing our thief to dig a grave and to cover the body with heavy stones. Salvi and Taz stayed for the burial but had to resume their journey east. My brother and uncle gave me long, warm embraces.

“You are doing what you have always longed to do,” Taz said in my ear. “I am so glad.” Tears slid from my tired, grieving eyes. I did not want to move.

Salvi punched my arm lightly, and I looked up. “I will not forget,” Salvi promised, patting his bag. “Reta will soon have your letter.”

I had forgotten. The remembrance was bittersweet; Reta would miss Balzar too. I quickly added a note to my letter, telling of Balzar’s death and burial and asking Reta to send word to the chief astronomer. Soon, my family was gone.

As we sorted through our scattered belongings, Caspar handed me a small scroll with my name on it. I did not recognize it or the writing, so I quickly tore it open and found the writer’s name. It was Reta. Stunned, I sat down to read.

My dearest Melchior,

I write this as I watch you sleep. Words somehow get stuck in me when I try to talk to you, so I will write what I can instead.

You think I am angry—and I am, but mostly at myself for being so scared and silent. You must feel you are married to a foolish girl who has nothing to say—and yet it is not true!

I feel, Melchior, as though a sheet or a skin stands between us, covering us from each other. For years I worried that this distance was what prevented us from having a child. Now I am less superstitious, but perhaps also freer to remove the cover from my own heart since we will soon be joined by this child.

As this child quickens inside me and I stroke my belly, I am reminded of my own mother’s touch and of our child’s heritage. I am afraid I could die while you are gone or that something might happen to you, and so I must put words to my heart—though I feel as though I am tumbling into a well as I write, wondering how you will receive my words—lest our marriage be swallowed up and rendered invisible forever. At the very least you need to know now why I married you. Of course if I am a foolish girl and you return home safely and I am safely delivered as I pray to be, I can only hope that you will understand and accept.

So why did I marry you? Because I could tell you weren’t simply looking for a cook. Because you were the first person since my mother died who looked at me as a person. Because I knew of your passion for the stars, and I dared to hope that a man with such passion might learn to love with intensity. I think of my parents, and I still dare to hope.

My father was much older than my mother, though they were both members of the same community. Exiles we called ourselves, remnants of our people who had decided to remain in the new country even after the captivity had ended. We often talked of home, and from an early age I knew that home was not where I lived but somewhere I had never been. I am both amused and saddened that you will see my home and I will not. It makes me wish to be with you.

But I was born already on a journey, part of my people’s journey. Always they talked of home, of going home, of things from home, even as they participated in the life of their adopted country. Whether to actually go home was a source of endless pondering. I remember my uncle shaking his head and wondering aloud what would become of the next generation when he saw us playing with the local children and learning their language better than our mother tongue. His business prospered enough to keep him from packing his bags, but he was the most devout Jew I ever knew, and he insisted that his daughter as well as his sons learn to read and write in Hebrew.

I joined their household when I was twelve, after my father died. My uncle was my father’s brother, and he took my mother and me into his household, for which we were grateful. We occupied a strange place in my uncle’s household—neither servant nor family. My mother was still young and lovely, and I could see my aunt looked at her as a potential rival for my uncle’s attentions, though this was foolishness. Something vital went out of my mother after my father’s death. She turned to me for someone she could touch, and she told me story after story as we lay awake at night. I had always known my parents to be kind and respectful to each other, but my mother’s nighttime stories revealed to me a depth of love I had not suspected between them. She did not tell me stories a child should not hear, but as she stroked my hair at night, I sensed her longing for my father take on all the intensity of our people’s longing for Jerusalem. My father had been the home of my mother’s love, and I was the result. Despite the tears my mother shed onto my hair, my mat, and even my ear, I felt increasing happiness as I grew to appreciate my father more and to know myself as a child of their love. This was the richest gift my parents gave to me.

I was just fourteen when my mother died of fever. I missed her dreadfully, but her stories and her love had woven a blanket around me that held me securely. I had also come to have faith in the Lord God of Israel. Some time after we joined my uncle’s household, my uncle invited me to join Miriam, my cousin, at her Hebrew lessons and her prayers. The stories of the Lord’s care for our people sustained me. What I missed were my mother’s hands stroking my hair, and I used to lie in bed and run my hand over my own head and pretend she was there.

It was when my uncle became sick that everything changed. Fearing he would die, as his brother had done, without seeing his homeland, he became obsessed with returning to Jerusalem. I found myself back in my former position outside the family circle. My uncle was sick and single-minded and open to his wife’s suggestion that I be left behind when they journeyed to Jerusalem. My uncle knew your family, and when he heard of your mother’s death, he sent me to your father.

I have told you only small pieces of this before. Melchi, we have revealed so little of our hearts to each other, and for this, I blame only myself.

My heart swelled with joy at this unexpected blessing in the desert. Such a strange and full night it had been. After days of emptiness in the desert, to be reconciled with a brother and a wife and to lose my dearest friend was much to take in. It would take time, but now we were poised on the edge of Israel.

As we set off on our mounts, the air was cool for once, and I breathed in deeply. The restraints that had held me back no longer gripped my heart, and I felt a pull toward Jerusalem and the new king of Israel, just as Balzar had felt in his dream. I thought of Balzar’s dream. It had forecast his death as he had thought, as well as our journey across the desert. Balzar’s heart had long been weak, and he could have died in his own bed, as he had said. Though my heart keened with loss, I was happy he had died as he had lived, in pursuit of the stars. Looking at the empty place in the sky, I remembered his final words to me.

Two days later, we came to our first Israelite town. Entering its gates, Shaz found the city elders in the square and presented them with our marauder. Heads were shaken and eyebrows raised with recognition of the man. We were assured that justice would be done in the matter of Balzar’s death. We were prepared to trade for food and water but found ourselves welcomed with hospitality and delicious food. For the first time, I was glad for Shaz and Caspar’s presence on the trip: they had skills of diplomacy I did not have, knowing what to say and when to say it. Shaz sometimes said too much, but Caspar was a restraining influence on him and a good listener.

When we resumed our journey toward Jerusalem, Caspar shook his head as he spoke. “They know nothing of a new king or a star. And Herod most certainly is alive. It is he who built the library we just saw. They seem to see him as a most progressive king.”

“And so he is!” Shaz smiled. “It will be a pleasure to honor him! I wonder if we will be the first to arrive.” With this ambitious thought and no Balzar to slow our progress, Shaz urged us quickly through the rocky, mountainous terrain on our descent toward the city of Jerusalem.

As we crossed the last of the mountains, the city of Jerusalem rose on the plain before us, an impressive sight. Though farther from the border, the people of Jerusalem seemed less surprised by our presence and appearance. We soon saw why—in the public square were many foreigners. Indeed there were people from every corner of the world, including Jews who had returned from exile. Shining in the sunlight stood the magnificent half-completed temple, which would be a lasting memorial to Herod’s reign. We entered its outer courts to survey its beauty—I had never seen such a marvel of gold and white stone—before Shaz reminded us of our purpose in the city. We found one of the city’s elders, who was pleased to escort foreign astronomers to the court, where Herod was holding state in this dry season.

~ 15 ~

K
ing

The man himself was small and twitchy. The condition appeared to be contagious. At Herod’s slightest move, a swarm of people would oblige him, almost panicked in their haste. The atmosphere around the man was one of great terror, with Herod at the center of everything. I found myself watching his face. The face we saw was welcoming, but Herod’s hands gripped his chair like talons, causing me to recall my dream and wonder if another face lay beneath and what sort of face it might be. My heart pounded as the doors closed behind us.

I could see Shaz was bursting with excitement. These were the moments he savored: opulent surroundings, men of power, all eyes on him. I stood to the side of the group, where I could watch the rituals Shaz had explained would take place.

There were none. Eyes glittering, Herod leaned forward and addressed us: “What is it you want?”

Shaz swallowed, adjusting to the situation, paring back the words he had prepared. “Where is he who is born king of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

A vein throbbed in Herod’s neck, and a tremor ran through the room.

“King of the Jews? Star?” Herod spoke too quietly.

“Your son?” Shaz offered with an ingratiatingly hopeful smile.

Herod stood up. With no further words, we were dismissed.

The air seemed lighter outside of Herod’s throne room. Shaz, however, was at a loss to understand what to do next. He scowled at me, wondering perhaps if my Hebrew prophecy had misled our journey. I wondered this—not for the first time—myself. Caspar spoke courteously to one of Herod’s attendants, explaining that we were ambassadors from our king and inquiring whether we might be permitted to refresh ourselves after our long journey and to stable our horses for the night. The attendants conferred, then disappeared into Herod’s chambers once again. One of Herod’s quivering advisers returned with the attendant. We were immediately escorted to the palace, where we were housed in rooms with soft beds raised off the floor. We were shown a room where we might bathe. We left Shaz in this room, where he insisted he could think best, and sent our own servants off with the attendants to stable the horses and to find food for us. Balzar’s son now occupied a strange position on this trip: officially he was still one of our servants, but in reality he was an astronomer, and out of respect for his father, we treated him as one of the delegation.

“You can stay with us and bathe, Hasin,” Caspar volunteered.

Hasin smiled his appreciation but shook his head. “I want to go, to see what I can learn.”

I was eager to bathe. My muscles were aching from the long ride, and my heart ached with grief. I felt I could not completely exhale in this foreign city, but Herod’s bathing pools were legendary, and if anything could soothe me, a bath would be it.

When we arrived at the pool, Shaz was floating on his back, a perturbed look on his face. We did not have to ask the reason for his frustration. As soon as he became aware of us, Shaz spluttered out his complaint.

“Look at these girls! What kind of royal bath is this? No wonder Herod is out of temper—not one of them would come into the water with me.”

I looked at the trio of young girls who stood along the edge of the room, and I thought of Reta. “Hebrew girls are modest,” I said.

“Modest?” Shaz snorted. “Girls aren’t in a palace to be modest. Not in a pool just to stand there.”

There was no arguing with Shaz and his various desires. I realized Caspar had submerged himself in the warm salt water, and I did likewise. The water was soothing. I felt my muscles unfold and grains of sand fall out from every corner of my body.

Nearly three weeks had passed since I left Reta. I thought of her in this center of her homeland, a place she had never been. Perhaps someday I could take her and our child to Jerusalem. An image of Herod crossed my mind like a shadow, and I thought perhaps I would not.

After we emerged from the pool, the young girls indicated mats on the floor, where we stretched out while they rubbed aromatic oils onto our feet. I glanced over at Shaz and rolled my eyes at his unmistakable arousal. I thought of Stela and how utterly foolish she had been to marry this man. Then as the herbs, the warmth, and the massage began to sink in, I drifted off to sleep.

The next thing I knew, the room was darker. Several hours had passed, and the sun had changed places, casting long shadows across my now-chilled body. I could hear the sound of water splashing, and I sat up. It was Hasin, refreshing himself in the pool. Caspar, who had also slept, now rolled over. Shaz was gone, and I felt some misgivings for the virtue of the young Hebrew girls. Hasin climbed out of the water and stood dripping before us.

“Herod sent a messenger for Shaz, just a few minutes ago,” he explained. “I passed him in the corridor.”

Hasin dried himself. Caspar propped himself on his elbow.

“What did you find?”

Hasin shook his head. “It’s amazing how news travels,” he said. “The whole city is stirred up, troubled even. Everyone knew who we were, and no one was happy to see us. At each stall I was asked, ‘Are you the foreigners who brought the threat to our king?’ I kept repeating, ‘We mean peace to Israel and her king,’ or I would never have been sold food. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have been asked to leave the gates before sunset.”

Caspar and I stood up.

“I guess Herod has no son,” I said as we gathered our clothes and hurriedly dressed.

“Or doesn’t want one,” Caspar replied

“Do you think we misunderstood the stars?” I asked, afraid to hear Caspar’s answer.

He shrugged. “No. There is a new king. Why else would Herod be so troubled?”

Shaz did not return to our room until late that night. He had enjoyed Herod’s full hospitality of food, wine, and women, having discovered that not all Hebrew women were modest. Shaz had never been treated so well by our own king, and we could see immediately that he would not share the apprehension we felt.

“Herod wants a secret audience with us in one hour’s time,” he announced. Exchanging eloquent glances, we prepared for a second meeting with Herod. Shaz fell into a satisfied sleep and had to be awakened when Herod’s advisers knocked on the door. This time we were conducted not to the throne room but to one of Herod’s private rooms. He was alone and had various scrolls and maps spread on a table in front of him. His face was crimson and drenched with sweat, though his expression had not changed from our first encounter.

Herod carefully questioned us about when the star had appeared to us and when it had disappeared. He read to us the Jewish prophecy that indicated that the king of the Jews, the Messiah, was to be born in King David’s city—in Bethlehem—and asked us to search diligently for the child, reporting back to him so that he could also go and worship.

Nothing could have induced me to speak or draw attention to myself. I could not be out of his lair soon enough. I was relieved when the interview was not prolonged. As we bowed and prepared to leave, Herod suddenly added, “I have arranged for your leader to remain with us a while longer. It turns out he is not only a brilliant astronomer but a cousin of my dear Mariamne. She will be so pleased to see him.”

Shaz smiled broadly. I was alarmed. Surely Shaz was not taken in by this man? And yet Shaz had heard exactly what his flattery-loving ears craved. What did Herod want with him? Wisps of fear curled inside my stomach. No conversation was sanctioned, and so with hidden heavy hearts, promises to return, and swift feet, we made our exit, gathering our servants and horses from the famous stables. We were swiftly escorted out of Jerusalem as day was nearly breaking.

“Is he dead then?” one of the servants whispered to me as we rode.

I shrugged. “He’s staying behind.”

The servant whistled and dropped back to share the news.

As the city gates closed behind us, we gathered around Caspar, who had become our leader without discussion. Caspar pointed at the eastern sky. There, far above the pinkish tints of sunrise, shone the moving star. Joy dawned on our faces, and the conversation of concern and strategy we were about to have melted away. Elated, we set off in the direction the star led, which was indeed Bethlehem.