Beloved Protector (Heartsong Presents) by Darlene Mindrup Page B

for Passover.” She paused, struggling for breath. “No one else was willing to stay.... The Romans...” Martha’s voice grew fainter as she spoke.
    Tapat was thankful that the woman couldn’t see the two soldiers standing just outside the ring of light. She wanted to question Martha further but knew that she was barely hanging on to life as it was. Exhausted from her slight exertion, Martha closed her eyes.
    “Can you manage to eat some broth if I feed you?”
    “I will...try.”
    Tapat managed to get several spoons of broth into her before Martha once again slipped into unconsciousness.
    She picked up the babe and cuddled him close. Large, lackadaisical brown eyes stared up at her. She could feel its bony frame through the coverings. How long had it been since he had had nourishment from his mother? Tears welled in her eyes, and she began to pray harder. Surely it could not be Elohim’s will for her to have found them only to lose them.
    Noise from outside alerted them seconds before Arius came into the house. He glanced at the woman and the child still held closely in Tapat’s arms.
    “Are they still alive?”
    His disbelief was obvious. The other three men followed him into the house, decreasing the size of the room by half.
    “They are alive,” Andronicus told him. “Did you find a goat?”
    He looked at Andronicus in wonder. “In fact, we did.”
    Tapat’s mouth dropped open in amazement. “Praise Elohim!”
    The look Arius gave her almost made her smile. She hadn’t meant to take away his moment of triumph, but she knew where to give the true credit.
    “I have no idea how you are going to manage to feed the child,” he told her in irritation. “Nor do I know anything about milking a goat.”
    Neither did Tapat, but she knew now that the Lord had sent her to this place at this time for a specific purpose. If the two didn’t survive, it would not be for lack of her trying.
    “I can milk a goat,” Crassus volunteered. His companions stared at him incredulously. All except Tapat. She was beginning to believe there was much more to the young man than was on the surface. She was also beginning to see Elohim’s hand in all that was transpiring. It wasn’t coincidental that Crassus had been chosen to travel with them.
    Crassus took a bowl and went outside to milk the goat. Now she had only to figure out how to get the milk into the babe.

Chapter 8
    A ndronicus thought of the stylus he used for writing buried among his supplies. With the sharp edge cut away, the reed tube could be used to slowly drop milk into the babe’s mouth. He cut off the tip and washed out the dried ink that was inside.
    He explained his idea to Tapat and then watched Tapat as she sat by the fire outside the hut cuddling the child close. She patiently dipped the pen into the bowl of milk, using her thumb to cover the open end. This allowed suction to hold the milk inside the straw tube. The babe suckled desperately for the sustenance as Tapat slowly released her thumb to allow the milk to be disbursed.
    “I think it’s going to work!” she told him, the smile in her voice reaching her eyes before it reached her lips.
    He returned her smile with one of his own. It was good to see her face so full of joy again. She had gone from anxiety about the woman and her child to a calm acceptance that surprised him.
    Andronicus, however, could tell that it took more energy to suckle than the child had in its already weakened condition. He was afraid that neither mother nor child was going to survive the night.
    And if they did? What then? They couldn’t remain here indefinitely, and he already knew that it was going to be a battle with Tapat to leave the two behind.
    He glanced around the fire at his men.
    Arius had taken the first watch and stood just outside the perimeter of the firelight. Tapat warily kept an eye on him, certain that at any moment he was about to dispatch the mother and child to the netherworld.
    Celsus and Didius