“I don’t care about riches.”
“Of course you don’t. You care about power. About protecting your people. But doesn’t the one achieve the other? The Britons can’t be protected from the Romans without funding a great army.” Eurielle turned to face Bridget. “Daniel was at Rumps, too, you know. He knows what war requires.”
“And what do you know of war?”
Eurielle’s sweet voice turned heavy. “I’ve seen more than you can imagine, ma’am.” She smiled. “You’ll never get in Jesus’s good favor if you treat his cousin poorly. They are like brothers.” The girl stepped closer. “Win over one, and you may win over the other.”
Bridget folded her arms. “You’re saying I should use Daniel to get to Jesus.”
“Daniel is already enamored of you.”
“How do you know that?”
She giggled. “Everyone knows that. If you show kindness to Daniel—just sisterly kindness, nothing more—the touch of a hand, a kiss on the cheek—he may yet commend you to Jesus. And if that still doesn’t work…well, you’ll have Daniel. And having him would surely be the next best thing to having Jesus.”
“There is no substitute. If I can’t have Jesus, I’ll die a spinster.”
Eurielle’s light laugh turned to a cackle. “That would be rather pointless, don’t you think, Your Highness?” She looked at her basket. “Ah, it seems my work is done. Good day, Your Highness.” She walked away, soon disappearing into the wood.
Good day, you strange little girl.
But as Bridget returned to the house, she kept turning over in her mind the idea that Daniel might commend her to Jesus. Yes, he might.
The Fallen One chose his time carefully. He could not molest Jesus directly; God had forbidden that for now. Nor would it do for Lucifer to allow Jesus to sense his presence, so he stayed away from Ynys Witrin until one day in the spring when Jesus went on his own to look for another lode of silver ore in the Mendip Hills.
Luck was with Daniel that day, or so he thought. He was helping his father with some repairs to the refinery furnace, when Bridget came strolling by.
Lucifer and Eurielle watched from a distance. “You sowed your seeds well, little one,” he told her. “I will use Daniel’s lust for the girl and lead him to ruin.”
“But master, that will hurt only Daniel. What about Jesus? How do we reach him?”
“Now Jesus will see Daniel’s dark side. He will turn from his beloved cousin in disgust. All the other sinners now in creation and those yet to be born are strangers to Jesus. I will lay the wickedness in Daniel bare for Jesus to see, and he will understand that all men share the same wicked nature. He will never give up his life to save them from the wickedness they bring on themselves.”
So much for God’s plan for salvation He will yield the throne of heaven to me!
Eurielle giggled.
“You take care of Bridget,” said Lucifer. “Use her compassion. She only needs to believe for a moment that kindness to Daniel will get her what she wants.”
Eurielle vanished.
Lucifer would take care of Daniel himself.
Bridget was a strong-willed woman, but Eurielle didn’t need to exert complete control over her. When Bridget saw Daniel look upon her, she understood his desire for her, and she was moved to pity even without Eurielle’s help. She walked with Daniel through the wood. It took the barest nudge from Eurielle to extend Bridget’s hand to hold Daniel’s.
Lucifer followed them closely, seeking his moment.
“I thought you cared nothing for me,” Daniel said.
“You are Jesus’s cousin. How can I not care for you?”
He stopped, gripped her hand tightly, and pulled her closer. “Do you?”
Bridget hesitated, trembling, as if battling with Eurielle over their next move. “Uh…of course. Like a brother.” She kissed his cheek.
“Like a brother? You mock me.”
“No, it’s just that…Jesus is the only one I can love.”
“Jesus? He cannot love you. Did he not tell you that he is only partly a man? He is also fully divine. He cannot return your love. It is against his nature. You need to share your life with a man, not a god. You need a man who’s fully a man.” Daniel wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close. “A man like me.” He covered her mouth with his.
Eurielle held Bridget in place so she would taste that sweet, hard kiss, though Bridget pushed back with her right hand while Eurielle clung to her left.
It was enough. The strength of Daniel’s will, the piety of all those years of the Arimathean’s tutelage, were crushed by the raw force of his lust. It was a scant beachhead, but Satan took it.
He tore off her cloak.
Bridget pulled away. “Daniel, stop!” Eurielle fled.
He reached for the laces of her bodice and pulled them halfway open.
Again, she cried out for Daniel to stop, and part of Daniel’s soul cried out likewise. But he was no longer in control. He kicked her legs out from under her. His hands tore at her garments. Lucifer had him now.
The Devil sensed her horror. She would be feeling his hardness against her body. She must know he would try to enter her. She scratched at his face and screamed.
Lucifer continued to use Daniel, who remained helpless in the face of temptation. “You wanted her,” Satan whispered to him. “This is the way to get her.” Daniel’s sense of decency crumbled beneath the hooves of his lust.
Her cries and her struggle, her fear and hatred fueled Satan’s fire.
“We can do this,” Satan whispered to Daniel’s soul. “She led us on. She deserves anything she gets now. Besides, surely she’ll learn to love you once she partakes of the pleasure of your body.”
The hope embedded in that lie destroyed what remained of Daniel’s will.
But a pair of bumpkins were to foil Lucifer’s plan to destroy Daniel’s soul and Bridget’s in a single stroke. Two young men passing through the orchard heard her screams.
They grabbed Daniel’s arms and dragged him off her. He stumbled, his ankles hobbled by his own garments.
Bridget jumped to her feet. Her skirt fell into place, covering her nakedness. She battered Daniel with her fist and spat on him. “You’re an animal. You tried to rape me, a princess of the Belgae! My father will see you dead!” She threw a left jab to his gut.
“You wanted me.” He groaned. “You kissed me before I even touched you.”
It did not matter to the two young men whether Bridget had kissed Daniel or not. The scratches on his face and her desperate screams said it all. The Celts could be crude and boisterous in their revelries, but the word “no” coming from a woman meant exactly that.
Lucifer laughed silently.
Daniel is nothing but my toy now. I cannot wait to feast upon his soul when he joins me in hell!
Returning from Priddy the next morning, Jesus thought he could cheer everyone with his news. He had found another rich silver lode at the foot of the Mendip Hills, easy to reach from the cavern where the River Axe emerged on the surface. He had seen the ore itself after scraping away a layer of soft rock on the cave wall. He already had the samples he would need to prove his claim to Grengan.
Arriving at his mother’s house, he found everyone in despair. Bridget was crying into Mother’s arms behind the women’s curtain. When Jesus tried to approach them, his mother decisively waved him away.
With his head in his hands, Uncle Joseph sat in the main area near the entrance. “I cannot believe what they say about my son,” he moaned to Jesus. “They say he tried to rape Bridget. The young men who rescued her say he claimed she wanted him, but they heard her scream and saw the scratches she made on his face.”
Jesus wrestled with this surreal news.
Daniel? Rape? Impossible!
“Will Elsigar charge him with a crime?”
“No. He said the druids do not punish any attempted crime, but that is not end of it. Bridget’s father is powerful, the king of all the Belgae. He will come after Daniel and kill him for the insult to the honor of his family. No one will lift a hand to stop him. Elsigar has declared Daniel an anathema. No one will talk to him, even if he does show himself.”
“Daniel must have some explanation. Where is he?”
“Who knows? What explanation can there be? Even if she wanted him, as he claims, it is still a great sin for him to try to do what he attempted—fornication at the least. What could he have been thinking? He has thrown away his life—on a
goy!
”
“
Goy
or not, she’s a child of God, too. From what you say, he tried to have carnal knowledge of her against her will. We Jews call that rape, even if the druids do not punish the attempt. A sin like that will corrupt his soul. But he is still my cousin and your son. He needs our help.”
“He is no longer my son.”
Jesus took a step back. “I curse his sin, Uncle, but I still love him. He has stood by me ever since the two of you came to Nazareth, when I was in peril there.” He ran his fingers through his long, unkempt hair. “What could have gotten into him? The cousin I know would never do anything like this.” He shook his head. Uncle Joseph remained silent, head in his hands. “He cannot stay in Ynys Witrin; he needs to get away before the Belgae come for him. Come with me, Uncle. Your son’s very life is at stake.”
Joseph groaned. “I meant what I said; he is no longer my son. Go look for him if you must.”
Jesus walked to Wearyall, the ridge on the finger of land jutting out into the Brue. Daniel loved to sit in a clearing atop the ridge and look out to the Lake Village or across the marshlands. That is where he found him, pacing back and forth across the clearing.
“Daniel, what happened?” Jesus asked. “What got into you?”
“Did my father send you? What did he say?”
“He didn’t send me. He says you are no longer his son. He told me that you tried to rape Bridget. I want to hear your side of it.”
“Rape! That is a laugh. She wanted it.”
“I hear the men who rescued Bridget said she was screaming for you to stop.”
“They are lying.”
“Those scratches on your face do not lie. I only saw her for a moment, but Bridget was distraught.”
“Did they tell you she kissed me before I even touched her?”
“Even if she did, that does not mean she wanted you to know her carnally.”
“It’s not my fault the bitch changed her mind. That is how women are. They lead you on. They say no when they mean yes. But you would not know about that, would you, Divine One? Before you left to study with the druids, you said you could never love a woman as men do. You don’t know what it is like to want one.”
“I had nothing to do with this.”
“You are the one she loves. If you had not led her on, she would know she could never have you. Then she would want me.”
Daniel is blaming everyone but himself.
“Look, Daniel, you need to pray and get yourself right with God.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Even if what you say is true, you are still sinning against him. From the looks of you, you must have tried to force yourself on her. She may have wanted romance, but you gave her violence instead.”
“Why did you come here, if I am such a sinner? You hate me.” Daniel continued to pace across the clearing.
“Daniel, I could never hate you. We are like brothers. Stop pacing and sit down.”
Daniel sat down on the log next to Jesus.
“We need to get you out of Britain before Bridget’s father seeks you out.”
“Where will we go?”
“We must make for Armorica. You will be under the protection of the Romans there.” Jesus thought out the situation.
We cannot risk waiting for Kendrick to return. Bridget’s father may be only days away to the east. Crossing the Sabrina to the land of the Silures is too risky; Arvigarus is my friend, but King Cymbeline will never risk war with the Belgae to protect Daniel. No, we must head west to Carn Roz, across the lands of the Dumnonii. That is unfamiliar territory to the Belgae, and that will slow them if they try to track us. Bannoch and Tilda will remember Daniel, and the people of the village still profit from the tin trade we started. They will help conceal us until we can secure passage to Armorica.
Jesus looked up. Daniel was shaking his head. “I am not going to Armorica. We must stay in Britain.”
“Bridget’s father will come for you. He will hunt you down and kill you.”
“Not if Bridget realizes that I am the one she really wants.”
He must be deluded.
“Daniel, look what she did to your face. I left her crying in my mother’s arms because you distressed her so. What more must she do to convince you she does not want you?”
Daniel turned to Jesus with a smug expression. “She’s feisty, all right. All that just makes me want her more.”
Now it was Jesus’s turn to get up and pace. He crossed the clearing, back and forth. “Daniel, they will kill you if you stay,” Jesus shouted.
“You are going to die, too. You have finally heard about the real meaning of that prophecy. How you truly will die on the cross if the Romans crucify you.”
How does he know this?
“We belong here in Britain now, you and I. There is nothing for us back in Israel, nor anywhere else in the Roman empire. If we go to Armorica, we will soon be on our way back to Judea or Galilee. You know where that path leads you—to crucifixion and death.”
“I can come back here on my own once you are safe.”
“That’s beside the point.” Daniel jumped up and came close. “Make Bridget love me. I know you can. I have never asked anything from you, but I know you are fully divine, just as you said, and you can do it. Think about it: with Bridget’s family joined to ours, you can adopt the Britons as your own people.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know what is to become of the Britons. The Romans will come to stay, and when their empire finally crumbles, wave upon wave of barbarian invaders will torment and enslave these people.”
How can he know this? Bridget swore she would not breathe a word of this to anyone.
“You can put a stop to that,” said Daniel. “Adopt these people as your own, just as your Father in heaven adopted the Jews. With Bridget’s hand joined to mine, we can restore the house of David here, in Britain, where the people will love us and not betray us, and where you will become known to these people as their god. We will stop the Romans on the beaches and secure the freedom of these people for ages to come. In time, we might even lead the Britons to smash the evil empire of the Romans. The emperors themselves will cringe in terror at your feet, Jesus.”